The Red Lotus
by Arden Tenjou
Summary: There is a new recruit to the sixth division, a noble named Kadenokoji Seren. She is talented, but lazy, disrespectful, and a disgrace to her family. Little does Renji know, she came running to the Gotei 13 to avoid a marriage to Byakuya! Though at first sparks fly between them, Renji gradually realizes he's never wanted anything as much as her. If only Byakuya never found out.
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

Gurenge (紅蓮牙) - "Red Lotus Fang"

joge buri (上下振り) - lit. "swinging up and down", the most basic kendo practice

bokuto (木刀) - lit. "wooden sword"

kanzashi (簪) - combs, pins and other hair ornaments, often of great variety and complexity, originally used in the Jomon period. Some say it was also a great place to hide a secret weapon.

shimada mage (島田髷) - a complex bun in several sections worn by Edo-period women, and still worn by geisha. There are a myriad of different styles, and even more types of kanzashi to wear in them.

Chapter One

Abarai Renji started his day every morning with fifty joge buri with his bokutō. After wiping down with a moist towel and washing his face, he would normally head for the sixth division. However, today was somewhat special, in that he would be accompanying Kuchiki Taichō on his annual perusal of Spiritual Arts Academy graduates. If there were any standouts, the captain would request them for his division. Unsurprisingly, this didn't happen often, and unlike other divisions, most recruits were forced on Kuchiki Taichō when he failed to accept the bare minimum each year.

But in this group of graduates, there was someone Byakuya had high expectations for. A noble of the Kadenokōji clan, which, like the Kuchiki and the Shihōin, was another of the four noble families. If this person failed to impress the choosy captain, Renji was in for a bad day. Unfortunately, they'd already heard quite a colorful mix of rumors about her. Other nobles had little to say, other than that she tended to smile too much for a noblewoman. But there had been one or two rumors, among the academy mostly, that there might be a discipline problem. For a noble, that was unthinkable, and depending on the scale of the problem, Renji predicted that Byakuya might well suffer some kind of fit. He just prayed this girl would have a tolerable amount of decorum.

After all living captains and lieutenants of the thirteen divisions gathered outside the academy gates, Renji and the other lieutenants followed their captains up some stairs to a balcony above the largest sparring arena, which lay just inside the walls of the academy. He went to stand beside and slightly behind Byakuya. There was an air of heaviness in the arena, absent of most of the usual chatter. This graduation ceremony was more important than most. The war with Aizen had left several important positions empty, and there were not enough experienced shinigami, even after including the Visored like Hirako, to fill those places. A skilled graduate might find a fast promotion waiting, if they impressed any of the captains today.

There was the usual mix of skilled and unskilled graduates that day, and a few that impressed Renji enough to want them in the division. But Byakuya remained stoically unmoved. After knowing him for so long, Renji could practically feel his annoyance building. Only a few graduates remained, and one of those was the one they had come here to see.

At that point, one of the instructors stepped to the center of the arena and gestured to his right. "Kadenokōji Seren. Step forward."

A tall girl stepped from the ranks. She gave a summary bow, but Renji's whole body tensed when her head rose and he saw her expression. She was smirking. Not smiling, not stoically trying to impress anyone. Smirking, like there was something vaguely funny going on. She glanced at the instructor, then to Renji's shock, she scratched the back of her neck absently. His mouth fell open.

Trying to stop himself from trembling with fear, he very hesitantly looked down at Kuchiki Taichō. The captain's eyes were a mask of anger. This woman, Kadenokōji Seren, was the fourth daughter of Kadenokōji Masatsugu, head of the Kadenokōji clan. Albeit she was his youngest child and therefore unlikely to ever head the clan herself, nor inherit much land or money, this was a noblewoman. Worse, a daughter of a family second only to the Kuchiki in terms of wealth, and perhaps third overall in terms of status. Having a single hair out of place was enough to cause shock. But more strange news awaited them.

Something rather odd was happening. The instructor was looking to his left and then his right with an expression that said he was between a rock and a hard place. Weirdly, though up until that moment every single person had seemed on tenterhooks and desperate to show off, no one seemed willing to look him in the eye as he searched for a sparring partner for this girl.

"Are there…any volunteers to spar with Kadenokōji-kun?" he asked after an awkward pause.

And yet no one would meet his gaze. Renji glanced at his captain. The nobleman raised a brow. Likely, he was thinking the same thing Renji was: either this girl was so hopelessly bad that fighting her would simply embarrass anyone who tried, or…the others were all afraid of her. Afraid? Renji questioned to himself, frowning as he observed her. She didn't look scary.

She had plain, dark hair and unusually tanned skin for a noble. Her face and build had a somewhat androgynous feel, more handsome than beautiful, with slightly drooping eyes that held an air of irony. Her only real identifying feature was a lacquered wood kanzashi which only held back some of her hair in the middle, brightly painted with lotus flowers, a symbol of the Kadenokōji. Something so valuable-looking didn't really suit her.

"What is the problem?" Byakuya asked coldly, and his tone sent shivers through every graduate present.

The instructor visibly shuddered. Quickly he answered, "Ah…well, Kadenokōji-kun's shikai is somewhat of a…"

"This child has attained shikai?" the Captain Commander interrupted.

"Y-yes, Sōtaichō-dono."

"Then by all means, we must see it." The old man turned in his seat to look over the captains and lieutenants present. Eventually, his eyes fell on the sixth division. "Kuchiki Byakuya."

Kuchiki calmly sat forward, intending to stand as instructed. However, an unexpected voice rose at that.

"Ah…no disrespect or anything." All eyes immediately rounded on the graduate in question, still standing like a vagabond with one hand resting on her zanpakutō's hilt and the other on the back of her neck. "Quite the contrary actually," she added with a chuckle. "I'm afraid a single bout with Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura would mean an early grave for me. I might stand a better chance with his lieutenant, though. I mean, if he's agreeable."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He stood in spite of her protests. "You presume I would use my full strength on an infant such as yourself?" he asked in an icy tone. Renji wasn't sure she was aware of this, but it was likely that her high birth was the only reason Byakuya was acknowledging her existence at all.

Kadenokōji blinked. Then she laughed, unknowingly driving Byakuya's anger to even higher pitch. "Sorry, that's not exactly what I meant, but…well, suffice it to say I'm pretty sure I would die. Whether you meant to kill me or not."

Byakuya's brows drew together in the slightest expression of uncertainty, still tinged with anger. He glanced back at Renji, then closed his eyes in irritation and returned to his seat. After a moment, "Renji," he said simply.

"Got it," Renji replied. He stepped lightly up to the railing of the balcony, then easily jumped down to the arena. He watched the girl with interest as he stepped up to face her, himself not un-fond of impetuous people. But he still had no idea what was going on, and decided to keep his guard up.

"Face your opponent. Bow," said the instructor, and Kadenokōji and Renji bowed to one another. The fact that she was still looking somewhat amused was disturbing, but he kept his wits about him and focused on reading her movements. "Begin!"

"All right. Time to impress me, kid. If you make me use my shikai, you win," Renji said, gaining a confident smirk.

A somewhat rueful expression graced her face at that. "I see. In that case, I'm afraid I already have the advantage, Abarai Fukutaichō. Though I suspect I'll still lose."

"What?" he muttered in mild irritation.

"If you don't mind then, I'll show you what I've got," she said, changing the subject with another smirk.

Renji met her smile with one of his own. He drew Zabimaru and took a watchful stance. "Bring it on, brat."

She nodded. Then, to his surprise, she closed her eyes. "Time to go. _Satore, _Gurenge."

Renji frowned. He didn't know what kanji that name might use, though he thought he recognized the word _guren_ ("crimson"), but her command "_satore_" could only mean "attain enlightenment". Just what kind of shikai was this exactly?

As he watched, her sword began to glow a deep pink or perhaps faint red, the color of a red lotus flower. Slowly, a small, hooked blade seemed to blossom from near the tip. Then another, this one lower down. Three more such hooks grew, then the glowing faded, though the vulgar color remained. Her sword was now much the same shape as before, with the exception of these uneven hooks which seemed designed to grasp an opponent's sword. Just judging by the look of it, Renji had to say it didn't seem very impressive. But he reminded himself that there had to be a reason for her classmates' reaction, and put up his guard.

However, after producing her shikai, she remained still, watchful. He frowned. They stayed this way, simply watching one another and waiting, for almost a full minute. At length, she chuckled and tilted her head.

"Is something wrong, Fukutaichō?" she asked, smiling.

He sighed. "I don't attack girls first," he admitted.

Her smile faded abruptly. "Ah," she said, after a moment. "So you're a dick."

"A…what?"

She shook her head and gestured dismissively, even taking one hand off her sword to do so. Her lack of care was starting to piss him off. "Probably a discussion best left for another time. If you won't attack, I suppose I'll have to, though I have to say I'm much better at retreating." She chuckled again, looking as if she expected him to laugh too. He didn't.

Suddenly, her sword was bearing down on him. He definitely had to react fast to block it, but it wasn't captain-class speed. Not enough to account for the strange reaction to her. However, the moment their swords struck, two lotus petals fell from the place they touched. He glanced down at them, and almost missed a second strike from her sword.

But nothing special seemed to be happening. They parried a few more times, and each time more lotus petals fell. Soon they were walking on a blanket of crimson lotus petals.

Strangely, though Renji couldn't see why, Kadenokōji Seren's smile seemed to grow more and more excited the longer they fought. "You're amazing, Fukutaichō. Your spiritual power just keeps coming, doesn't it?"

He thought absently that that was an odd way to put it, but scoffed at her observation. "Kid, you have no idea. And I still see no need to use my shikai."

"Hm," she murmured, though he thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes. Then he was forced to parry another strike.

But gradually, something noticeable was happening. Two things, actually. Her strikes almost seemed to be getting faster. And stronger. Before he realized it, Renji was getting out of breath, though strangely, Kadenokōji looked more energetic than ever. Then things started to get very difficult for him.

She backed off at one point, gaining a strange stance that seemed more like dance than swordplay. He'd never seen anything like it. She raised her sword to point at him from a distance, then began a series of fluid movements that were difficult for him to follow. She seemed to move like water, soft and unpredictable, the light shimmering as it hit her sword or her kanzashi and deceiving his eye. He thought it was just an illusion, but suddenly he realized he had actually misjudged the distance of her sword. It got within his guard, and just barely brushed his shoulder, giving his shihakushō a miniscule slice.

They remained in this position, Renji panting and nearly frozen with shock, Seren's arm still extended in a lunge, for a tense moment. Sadly, she cast her eyes down. Then she retreated, and dissolved her shikai. Renji blinked at the action. She smiled at him, and sheathed her sword.

"I'm afraid the fight is over, Fukutaichō. And I have lost."

"What?" he hissed in rage, an anger that was fueled by the humiliation of the idea of a fresh graduate telling him something he didn't know.

"Child, what is the meaning of this?" asked the Captain Commander.

"Ah…well, I think those were the rules. I only win if the lieutenant uses his shikai," she said, and though she was smiling, her voice seemed much humbler than before. To Renji, she almost sounded ashamed.

"You haven't lost either, as far as I can see," replied Genryūsai.

She looked at the ground and scratched her neck again, showing definite signs of discomfort now. Reluctantly, she turned to Renji. "Hey. Sorry, I should have warned you. This…probably won't be much fun."

"What are you talking about?" he growled, still maintaining his stance, sword pointed at her.

"Abarai Fukutaichō," she said softly, so that only he could hear. "Please try to produce your shikai."

"Why?"

She met his eyes with a sad gaze. "It's the easiest way to show you what just happened."

Renji could hardly stop from trembling with rage. He had no idea what this brat was talking about, but he was ready to teach her a lesson. "Your funeral," he growled, and raised his sword. "Wake up, Zabimaru. _Hoero_."

A long, tense silence passed. Suddenly, up in the balcony, Kuchiki Byakuya got to his feet, staring intensely down at them. Renji's hands were shaking. He stared at Zabimaru. At its plain, flat edge. He tried. He could not produce his shikai.

"Zabimaru!" he shouted. "What are you doing in there? _Hoero!_"

But still, nothing happened.

"I'm afraid it will be a while before you can use it again," said Kadenokōji, softly.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Renji," Byakuya's voice came from the stands. Renji glanced up at him, not doing well to hide his irritation at the distraction. But Byakuya's eyes were far more intense at that moment than he remembered seeing them for a long time. Eventually he said, "Are you lowering your spiritual energy intentionally?"

Renji's eyes went wide. In shock, he looked down at his own hands. He removed one from Zabimaru to stare at it. Though it was not easy to see his own spiritual energy, and that was not his forte anyway, he could feel it. It was not even half what it normally was. He hadn't even noticed as it was stolen from him.

"The flowers."

His head whipped up to stare at the girl before him. She met his gaze with a hint of guilt in hers, then pointed to the ground.

He followed her finger to look more closely at them. His mouth fell open. There it was. The spiritual energy she'd stolen from him, scattered all over the ground. He'd been stepping on it.

"My sword takes spiritual energy from anything it touches, and disperses it harmlessly into lotus petals. Not much use to me, but it doesn't take long to have a big effect on my opponent. Of course, it has to briefly pass through my body every time, so too much at once and I'd be in trouble. Hence, I'd rather not fight your captain." Renji was still frozen, staring at the flowers, and eventually back at Zabimaru. Kadenokōji's smile faded, and her gaze shifted away. "With your power, it shouldn't take long, Fukutaichō," Kadenokōji continued, softly. "Maybe a half an hour for your shikai, a couple of hours for your bankai, then you'll be all back to normal. And…again, I'm sorry."

Back in the balcony, Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes were wide as he watched them. Slowly, he regained his emotionless facade. He glanced to his superior. "Yamamoto Sōtaichō," he said. "I request this graduate join my division, at the rank of fifth seat."

Old man Genryūsai considered this for a moment. Then without a flicker of doubt he said, "Granted."

Renji was still struggling to cope with what had just happened, but when Byakuya ordered him to sheath his sword and return to the balcony, he obeyed. There were a few more graduates to see before the ceremony finished. Then the captains chatted for a while, dividing up the remainder evenly. A few minutes later, Byakuya deigned to come down so he could discuss something with the instructor, bringing Renji with him.

"I have seen that student's scores," Byakuya said, in his usual, intimidating bass. "Why is she not top of her class?"

The instructor flinched, obviously terrified of Byakuya. "Kuchiki-taichō, I don't mean to question your decision, certainly she has the skill, but I would rethink giving her a rank if I were you. Oh, by all means, take her in your division, but…"

"But what?"

"Well…" Another sigh. "I suppose she would have been top of her class. If she had attended classes. Or followed instructions. Or showed any signs of being interested in what we had to teach her."

"And she did none of these things?"

The instructor shook his head ruefully.

Byakuya closed his eyes in thought, and Renji could tell he was irritated again. "A discipline problem."

"I'm afraid so…"

He considered for a moment, then nodded. "We can handle that. Instruct her to gather her things and move to the sixth division barracks to await further orders."

"Yes, Kuchiki-dono."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes slightly in the tiniest show of irritation at the man's uncertainty at how to address him, then turned and gestured for Renji to follow him. As they walked, though Renji would normally have made conversation about the day's events, he found he was unable to focus on anything but Zabimaru. He could still barely hear him. He'd never in his life experienced a drop in spiritual energy that did no harm on his body. Physically he felt fine. It was only his soul that was weak. It felt like he'd been suddenly regressed back to childhood, that helpless time before he met Zabimaru and gained some control over his destiny.

Byakuya glanced at him as they walked. Then he returned his gaze forward. For a time, he said nothing. Eventually he asked, "You felt nothing as she took it from you?"

Renji's grip on Zabimaru tightened, his teeth clenching. "No, sir."

Byakuya thought for a moment. "And her swordplay?"

Renji shrugged. "Not bad. For a seated officer," he said with significance, causing Byakuya's eyes to widen. "Certainly too good to be a mere graduate," he added, almost under his breath. "Taichō, no offense, but this is bullshit. What rock did she crawl out from under?"

Byakuya closed his eyes again to consider. "A prodigy coming from a noble family without warning is not unheard of," he said, and Renji heard a little pride there. He resisted the urge to scoff. "At the same time, if discipline has been a consistent problem for her, I can certainly understand the instinct to keep her out of the public view."

"So? What's the plan?"

Byakuya sighed. "Teach her discipline, or find her a new division to work for."

Renji had to concur with that thinking. And so the sixth division began the next day with the bare minimum of new recruits as usual, plus one potentially big annoyance for its commanding officers.

...

A few days earlier, Kadenokōji Seren's life had been very different. Her eldest sister had forbidden her from staying in the dorms, like most students, so even her somewhat desperate move of becoming a shinigami did not bring her much freedom at first. She started each day, as she was instructed, by having breakfast with her family. For her, it was a daily reminder of her own powerlessness.

None of her friends from the academy, nor probably anyone she knew from the outside world, would recognize her during these times. She still wore her kanzashi, but inside the Kadenokōji home, all women wore a perfect shimada mage. She did not wear shihakusho, nor her normal lounge kimono that she wore during down time, but one of her many elaborate and expensive long-sleeved kimonos. It signified her status as the only unmarried daughter of the Kadenokōji, the rest of whom all wore short-sleeved (but still ridiculously expensive) kimonos.

Today her servant had selected a fashionable garment to match the season, a subtle yellow with a grass shoot design. As she ate, silently as always, she clasped one sleeve with perfect, practiced movements to keep it out of the way while she used her free hand to use chopsticks. Normally, no one in her family spoke during this time. But on this day, her father had some words for her.

"Seren," said the noble, a proud man of gray locks and perfect posture. His eyes were like hers, however, large and expressive, so she generally knew what he was thinking. He glanced up at her as she did at him. "I gather you will graduate from that school soon."

She very carefully kept her true emotions from her face as she produced a soft smile. Her father had never said its proper name since she joined the Spiritual Arts Academy. It was always "that school".

"Yes, Father," she said simply. Then she returned to her breakfast, secretly wanting to finish quickly and leave before he had a chance to say anything more.

Unfortunately, Masatsugu set down his chopsticks at that moment, and with graceful movements, folded his hands in his lap as he sat back in his chair. "Have you had any offers from captains?"

She kept the wince from her features, and merely adopted her usual, soft smile. "No, Father. Not that I know of."

"Hmph," he commented, proudly closing his eyes. "I can't imagine you expected anything different. That they would even accept someone so half-hearted is already more than I would have thought."

"Yes, Father," she said, somewhat amused at his attempts to dishearten her.

Her eldest sister, Sayuri, minimally lifted her gaze, and Seren prepared for something bad. In reality, Sayuri was the shadow king of the household. It was she who was generally the arbiter of all conversations during meal times (to make sure they were not taken up with idle chatter). The elegant woman put down her chopsticks and daintily patted her mouth with a napkin. Unlike Seren, in addition to the kimono and complex hairstyle, she also wore the perfect makeup and beautiful expressionless countenance of a noblewoman. It was just one of the reasons Seren was far more intimidated by her than by her father.

"Father," said Kadenokōji Sayuri, with her sweet, perfectly practiced voice. "If you recall, in the event that Seren is not accepted to any of the divisions immediately after graduation, she has agreed to accept your choice for a husband. Is that not so?"

Masatsugu nodded solemnly while Seren kept perfectly still for a moment, holding her chopsticks above her food. "Indeed. I have spoken with the Kuchiki. We are still discussing the dowry, but I am certain we will come to a satisfactory arrangement very soon."

If she had not had over two decades of practice at this dining table, Seren would have dropped her chopsticks in shock. "Father…" she murmured. He glared at her. She reflexively smiled, which was a defense mechanism of hers, but quickly erased it for fear of her sister catching her showing emotion. "Forgive me, did you say it was the Kuchiki you spoke with?"

Masatsugu's eyes narrowed. As always, he was automatically critical when his youngest daughter spoke up out of turn. In the Kadenokōji household, women – young ones in particular – needed a good reason to speak. "Yes," he said after a tense silence. "Your intended husband is Kuchiki Byakuya."

Seren's hand tightened on her chopsticks. Her sisters all looked disapprovingly at her for a moment, then continued eating as if nothing had happened. "Kuchiki…Byakuya?" she repeated.

"Yes," replied her father in challenging tone. "Are you displeased with my choice?"

Seren opened her mouth, but could find no words. She briefly thought she caught a smirk on Sayuri's face as the refined woman returned to her breakfast. "But…" Seren murmured, and the rest of the household all stared at her once again. She swallowed, but braved her fear of chastisement. "…as you say, that is only if I am not accepted…isn't that right?"

Masatsugu watched his daughter with cold eyes for a long few moments. Finally, he picked up his chopsticks again. "If you are accepted immediately, I will be very much surprised. But yes, if that happens, you will be free of the arrangement." Seren breathed a sigh of relief. With perhaps a hint of vindictiveness, her father added, "At least for another year."

Now, she did drop her chopsticks. They clattered against her tray and caused her other sisters to glance up in shock. "But…" she murmured.

"I am still speaking, Seren," growled the ancient noble, his spiritual energy flaring up and causing all four girls to flinch. He resettled himself in his seat, calmly. "Sayuri and I have been discussing it. Surely a year is enough time for you to play. While having a captain in the family would bring the equivalent honor of marrying well, someone like you even coming close to that rank is highly unlikely. And for anything less than that, your sister and I agreed that it was no place for you. A Kadenokōji woman knows her place." His cold eyes flicked up to her. "Is that not so, Seren?"

She could not manage to speak for almost a minute, and the dining room was in total silence. Finally, she produced her token, soft smile. She lowered her gaze. In a tone that was nothing like her own voice, and sounded strange even to her, she murmured, "Yes, Father."

So. She had been given one year. One year of freedom, then from her point of view, her life would end. She certainly wasn't about to waste it following orders.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Most people would be honored to be accepted into the sixth division immediately after graduating the Spiritual Arts Academy. The idea of becoming a seated officer at the same time was almost unbelievable. For most people. Unfortunately, Kadenokōji Seren had gotten used to a certain lifestyle. Since no one in her family cared if she went back to sleep after breakfast, her day generally started sometime after noon.

In the sixth squad barracks, Abarai Renji had been standing in the meeting room, alone, for the better part of an hour. As his anger grew, he started tapping his foot with greater and greater fervor. Then after a final look at the clock, telling him it was already well after ten in the morning, he let out a low growl. And that was all he could take before storming out of the room and straight to the sleeping quarters.

He stopped in front of a two-person room for seated officers. But since Seren was the only female seated officer at that time, the only name on the door was hers. He folded his arms to hold back his rage, and briefly contemplated knocking. In the end, though, he decided he would pay back unpleasantness with more unpleasantness. So he kicked the door in.

The noblewoman made an odd noise and fell out of bed. From the floor, with one leg still hanging from the bed, she dazedly got up on her elbows to look up at him. Not that he could tell exactly where she was looking; the loose dark locks from the previous day were a complete tangle at the moment, covering most of her head. She was wearing a lounge kimono, a vulgar thing covered in crimson lotus flowers, but it was barely doing the job of covering up her important bits. Renji could have cared less.

He stalked inside, barely managing not to just start shouting, and reached down to pick her up by that tangle of hair.

"Ow ow ow ow! Fukutaichō! I'll go bald!" she cried, grabbing onto his hand to support herself. She looked a bit surprised as he easily held all her weight with one hand.

"What time were you instructed to report for duty today?" he hissed at her.

"Uh…" She thought for a time. "You know, you'll probably laugh when I tell you this. When Kuchiki Taichō said 'daily briefing at 9 a.m.', I sort of assumed that was optional. You know, like homeroom. Funny, right?"

He was about to shout when he paused at something strange she said. "Homeroom isn't optional."

"Isn't it?"

"GET INTO UNIFORM!"

"Uh…ah…right."

She reluctantly got up and straightened her hair. When it was tolerably smooth again, she picked up her kanzashi from the bedside table to hold back her bangs. She then pulled out a fresh shihakusho from her closet. She laid it on the bed and was about to untie her obi when she turned and frowned at her lieutenant. She glanced skyward for a moment in thought.

"Um…not that I mind, but are you going to stand there while I change?"

Renji's face lit up with a blush. He'd been so angry he wasn't even thinking about the fact that she had girl parts under that kimono. He struggled for words for a moment, then hurriedly went outside and slammed the door behind him.

"Just…hurry it up!" he shouted from beyond the door. His flush also deepened as a couple of other female division members passed by him and giggled.

A few minutes later, Kadenokōji Seren emerged from her room, fully dressed. She smiled at him and rested her wrist on her sword hilt casually. "Sorry for the wait, Fukutaichō. What can I do for you?"

He snarled. "An hour ago, you could have joined the other new recruits for an introductory meeting and tour of the barracks. Now, you're already late for training. Come on!" he said, grabbing her by the head again and pushing her along.

"Ow ow, I got it, I surrender," she grumbled.

When they arrived at the dojo, the sixth division's third seat, Murayama Takeshi, had already started kendo drills. Being the next highest in strength to Renji and someone approved-of by Kuchiki Byakuya, this man was not a fan of rule-breakers. After Renji shoved her inside, he immediately closed the door behind him. He stayed there long enough to hear both her lame excuse for her lateness, and the punishment she received for it. A thousand joge-buri.

Renji smirked a little at that, expecting her to be floored with exhaustion by mid-afternoon, and went about his business. However, at a little after two, he happened to walk past a group of new recruits chatting under the shade of a tree during their break. Among them, a certain noblewoman.

Seren was laughing with her friends and rubbing her arm muscles. "Ah, man, I thought my arms were going to fall off!"

"Ha ha, that's what you get for being late!" said one of her friends.

"When I saw Murayama-san's expression, I thought he was going to have you whipped or something!"

"I might have preferred that," she joked, and set them laughing again.

Shaking with rage, Renji walked up behind her, causing her classmates to freeze with fear, even as she was still laughing.

"Hm? What's wrong with you guys?" she asked when she noticed their expressions. Then a heavy hand fell on her shoulder.

"Kadenokōji. What exactly are you doing?" asked Renji.

She turned and blinked at him. "Oh, Abarai Fukutaichō. Well, as you can see I'm taking a break with my comrades-"

"I seem to recall hearing something about a thousand joge-buri before you could do anything else. What happened to that?" he growled.

"Yes, I finished that a few minutes ago."

"You…finished?"

She looked him up and down for a moment. "Was I…not supposed to?"

"You did a thousand joge-buri?" he repeated, genuinely surprised now. "And you're still standing?"

She considered for a moment, resting one hand on her sword again. "In my father's house, I started every morning with a hundred. It was a stretch, I won't lie, but once you get used to it, you know, it's like anything else."

Renji's face flushed again with shame as he thought of the fifty he did every morning.

Fortunately, before his mood could get any worse, Seren picked up on it and quickly made a plan. She smiled. "But actually, I did have a favor to ask you, Fukutaichō."

"Me?" he muttered in surprise.

"Well, I don't really know any other seniors yet. I'm sure you're busy, but I don't want to get behind on my training, and I'm afraid I spent the larger part of today doing nothing but swinging my bokutō up and down. Would you mind sparring with me a little, maybe this evening?"

He blinked at her. "You want…to spar with me?"

She looked between his eyes with a curious frown. "Oops. Was that rude to ask of my lieutenant?"

At that moment, a dark voice interrupted their conversation. "The idea of a Kadenokōji woman being unsure of social rules is ludicrous."

Renji whirled around to see Byakuya standing behind him, looking as if he had been doing so for some time, though of course with his shunpo he could have been anywhere seconds before. The captain stepped forward to stand beside his lieutenant, opposite Kadenokōji. He gave Renji the smallest of glances before turning his attention back to the recruit.

"Renji has other duties to attend to," Byakuya said in his emotionless baritone. Renji might have been imagining it, but he thought he saw Seren's posture change, her shoulders hunching slightly, her gaze lowering. The result was that it was suddenly as if it was a different person altogether standing there, though none of the changes were obvious. "If you require anything that your instructors cannot provide, you should come to me after working hours. Is that clear?"

Renji stared at his captain. What did he just say? Was Kuchiki Byakuya giving a lowly new recruit special attention? Had hell frozen over?

"Yes, Taichō."

"As long as you understand," Byakuya said simply, then turned and was gone with a flick of his scarf.

Renji stood in utter bewilderment, watching the space where his captain had just been standing. Slowly, he turned back to Seren. Another surprise awaited him when he did.

Her normally ironic gaze was now lifeless and lowered. Her normal carefree smile replaced with utter nothingness, a face devoid of emotion. At some point, she had clasped her hands in front of her and put her feet together. Suddenly, saying she was a daughter of the Kadenokōji didn't seem so surprising. But Renji had hardly seen a sight more disheartening than this.

A moment or two of silence passed, then suddenly she lifted her head and let out a big, unladylike sigh. She grinned at him. "Well, there you have it. Can't be disobeying my hubby, now can I?"

The words had come out so naturally that it was not until long after she had left that their meaning reached Renji's brain. Several minutes later, since he had been standing frozen there all by himself since she said that, his eyes widened.

"Your what?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Go-seki (五席) – "fifth seat"

…

Chapter Three

Renji of course didn't believe Kadenokōji's half-joking comment, once he'd had some time to think about it. He knew as well as anyone how serious his captain was, and more importantly, how much he had gone through for the sake of his late wife. Renji had just assumed he would never marry again, and he was certain he wasn't the only one who thought so. Then there was the laughable idea of Kadenokōji Seren marrying anyone, particularly someone as unattainable as Kuchiki Byakuya. If it ever did come to pass, the eligible women of Soul Society would surely murder her in her sleep. However, even believing all this sincerely, he couldn't manage to shake the image of the sadness in her eyes as she said it. Eventually Renji decided on the unusual tactic of getting it from the horse's mouth. One horse, anyway.

"Kuchiki-taicho," he said, at a morning meeting, after Byakuya had assigned him some daily tasks. "I'm sorry, this is…awkward, but…"

"Yes?" Byakuya muttered, mostly focused on some paperwork on his desk.

Renji cleared his throat. "The other day, Kadenokōji Go-seki said something somewhat unusual. I thought I would just ask if you knew any reason for it."

Byakuya barely glanced at him, still looking over paperwork. "And what was this unusual comment?"

Renji took in a slow breath. He had come this far, he'd asked Kuchiki about it openly. He couldn't just back down, and yet now that he was standing before the man himself, the words seemed to stick in his throat. What if it were true? Again, the image of Kadenokōji's sad eyes appeared in his mind.

However, Byakuya's disapproving gaze flicked up to him at that point, and urged the words from his mouth. "Something…concerning your relationship with her," he managed. "Do you…have some sort of relationship with her? Other than as captain and subordinate, I mean?"

To Renji's shock, he was sure Byakuya flinched. Well, perhaps not "flinched", nothing so obvious, but he did utterly stop moving for half a breath. At length he cast his eyes away in thought, then closed them with a sigh. "That is not your concern," he said.

Renji's eyes widened. "Taichō…are you serious?"

"I have said nothing, nor will I until I have finished negotiations with her father."

Renji had to stop himself from staggering backwards in shock. "You truly intend to marry that girl?" he found himself whispering.

Byakuya's hard gaze flicked up to him. "Renji. What did I just say?"

Renji set a hand on the desk to steady himself and gritted his teeth. Between them he muttered, "It doesn't concern me."

"Correct." He signed a few papers, then set them aside. "However, I do have a favor to ask of you on the subject of Kadenokōji Go-seki." As Renji was still in a mild state of shock, Byakuya merely sighed again at looking at him. "Renji. Are you listening?"

Renji sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "I'm sorry. Taichō…she's just…just…she can't possibly be a suitable wife. For anyone. I don't mean to speak out of turn, but that should be obvious. And, well apart from anything else, she looks like she'd rather cut her own arm off than get married. Are you telling me she's agreed to it as well?"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed with rage. "I will not say it again. In any event, it is not a certainty until we have agreed on a dowry. In the meantime, you will accustom yourself to the idea, and behave accordingly. In fact, that is part of what I wish to ask you about." He calmly began filling out another sheet of paperwork as he spoke, as if he were talking about the weather. "This is a personal request, so you may refuse if you wish. Kadenokōji Seren is spending far too much time associating with commoners in the division. Since you seemed to understand the situation where my sister was concerned, I wish to ask for your help in improving her standards for companionship."

"H-how?"

"I will leave it up to your discretion. You have my permission to use whatever form of discipline you deem necessary. Make sure she spends no more time with anyone below her present rank, with the exception of those of noble families like her own." He set aside the paper he was working on and picked up another. He still wasn't looking Renji in the eye. "I trust you will make the appropriate judgments."

"Taichō…" Renji murmured. "I…"

"That is all," Byakuya said, cold eyes flicking up to him in a barely concealed threat. "You may leave." It wasn't a request.

Renji gritted his teeth, unknowingly clenching his fists at his sides, though Byakuya noticed. Without another word, he stalked out of his captain's office.

Later, and knowing she would still be asleep, he went to the sleeping area of the barracks and stood before Seren's quarters. He didn't knock, didn't even raise his hand, because he still wasn't sure what to say. He had always known that Kuchiki Byakuya was not the kind of man to make any decisions just to make someone feel better. Nor was he very good at explaining himself. But as well as he knew him, surely no one would have expected this. Over and over, he thought of Kadenokōji's lifeless face. Each time, his chest ached a little more. Eventually, his thoughts were interrupted when the door opened on its own.

Kadenokōji stood there, leaning on the door sill, wearing her usual sleeping kimono with arms folded and hair somewhat messy. Still much better than the last time, however. She also looked fully awake as she gazed thoughtfully at the ground near Renji's feet. She then graced him with a soft smile. "I expected one of your rude wake-up calls hours ago. Now I've gone and slept in." She yawned and stretched. "Since I've missed training anyway, I was just planning on taking a walk. How about it, Fukutaichō? Care to join me?"

Renji couldn't look her in the eye. He merely nodded.

Her smile turned somewhat sad, but she nodded as well. She tied up her hair in a messy bun, slipped Gurenge into her obi, and came outside without bothering to get into uniform. He followed her as she began ambling toward Rukongai with her arms in her opposite sleeves. She looked perfectly natural as they walked through the lower class streets, seeming to enjoy the lively atmosphere. She would have been much better suited to an upbringing like Renji's, he thought absently.

"I take it you talked to my hubby."

He glanced at her, feeling a strange pain in his chest as she said it out loud. He looked away again. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to call him that yet."

She chuckled. "You're right. I just think it's funny."

"You don't look that amused."

Her smile faded briefly. "Well," she said, gaining back a rather half-hearted version. "Not many people can tell when I'm faking that. Very sharp, Fukutaichō. Not that I'm saying you're right."

"You saying I'm not?"

She shrugged. "He's a good man. Hey, 'good' is an understatement. Right? Most of the women here would trip over themselves for a chance at him."

"But not you."

She paused, but barely managed another laugh. "Oh, don't be so serious. I don't have a problem with him. If he asked me, I'd probably say 'yes', tell you the truth."

He stared at her in surprise. "You would? Then, why…"

He had to stop when he saw her expression. Her smile was gone. Those dull eyes he'd seen yesterday were back, though he gathered she was trying to hide them. "Thing is, Fukutaichō, he didn't ask. Our funny old captain there, I don't think he wants a wife at all. Least of all someone like me. Of course who could blame him for that, right?"

Renji didn't know what to say, but something about her expression as she said this made him want to put his arms around her. She wasn't wrong, but personally he liked the way she was. He couldn't quite manage to put that into words though.

She sighed and rested her hands behind her head, looking out over the landscape as they were still stopped. "I'm not sure why he's agreeing to go through with this…hell, maybe he isn't, maybe he's planning on killing this thing in the negotiating phase. In any case, I'm sure he does have a reason. But it's sure as hell not happiness. Anybody's." She offered him a grim smile at that point. "I know what you're thinking. Poor little rich girl, forced to marry a handsome prince. Real sob story, right?"

Renji's heart ached as he watched her face then. She shouldn't make expressions like that. He had a thoughtless urge at that moment to punch anyone who made her feel like that. Without realizing at the time what he was doing, he reached a hand toward her.

She frowned a little, but didn't stop him. He didn't think about it, just wanted to make her feel better. He ran his rough fingertips over her forehead and cheek, cupping her face in his hand. As he did this, her eyes closed, and she leaned possibly the slightest bit into his touch. His heart ached painfully and his lips parted in shock at the scale of that sudden feeling.

Then he realized what he was doing. He gasped and withdrew his hand. She blinked in surprise, but said nothing. He turned away, trying to pretend he hadn't felt anything just now. "Taichō has given me a task," he muttered, desperate to change the subject. "I'm supposed to make sure you don't associate with anyone below your own rank anymore."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He started to turn away, not wanting to look at her again. "You shouldn't really be surprised. You're a noblewoman, and the way you've been behaving is disgraceful. You should know how Kuchiki Taichō feels about these things."

Her face hardened for a moment in the first real show of anger he'd seen in her. Then she scoffed with a violent smile. "I've got little enough time left of this freedom. If he wants to reprimand me, I'm afraid he'll have to do it himself."

"No, he won't."

She didn't seem to understand at first. Her eyes widened. Then slowly, like a cloud rolling over the sun, bitterness overcame those lazy eyes of hers. "I see. I really misjudged you, Fukutaichō. When they called you a 'junkyard dog', I assumed you were a man of my own heart. But I guess somebody's tamed you now."

He snapped an enraged glance at her, then wordlessly turned and walked away. That had gone much worse even than he expected it to. Worse yet, the whole time as he walked back to his quarters, his heart was pounding. Her skin was so soft, and he could still feel her heat in his fingertips. He clenched his hand, trying to banish that feeling. It had not yet occurred to him just how bad of a mistake he had just made. In spite of his best efforts, his mind was filled only with the beauty of her sullen eyes, and the heat of her skin against his fingers.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: batsu game (罰ゲーム): lit. "punishment game", usually a penalty for losing a bet or any other kind of game (i.e. drinking games). Common punishments include things like "slave for a day" or more often doing something embarrassing in a large group of people.

…

Chapter Four

At first, Seren took the instruction not to associate with commoners with silent frustration, and little else. However, it took precisely one day for her to think of some fun to have in the situation. Kuchiki Byakuya's day started with the usual pomp and dignified silence as he filled in a few necessary documents for the day. Nearby, Renji sat bouncing one foot on top of his knee, idly waiting for Bakuya to finish. This domestic peace was interrupted by a gradual building of laughter and boisterous activity in the courtyard of the sixth squad barracks.

When it did not cease after a few moments, and in fact grew louder, the captain slowly set down his pen. His eyes flicked to his door. "Renji," he said simply.

Renji nodded and got up. He went out the door and was gone for a few minutes. However, after a worryingly short amount of time, he returned looking put-upon, and hesitantly closed the door behind him.

"Have you dealt with the problem?" Byakuya asked in a testing tone.

Renji shook his head.

"Why not?"

The lieutenant scratched the back of his neck in uncertainty. "Uh…I think it's beyond my abilities, Taichō. More importantly…I think you'll need to see it for yourself."

Byakuya's eyebrows twitched very slightly together. After a moment to collect his thoughts, or rather control his anger, he rose in a stately motion from his chair. He and Renji then went outside together to see what was going on. The courtyard was chaos, filled with almost all members of the division, some speaking to each other, others performing seemingly nonsensical actions, others laughing outrageously. A new recruit came up to them and smiled widely.

"Good morning, Taichō," he said brightly.

Byakuya glared down at him. "What is the meaning of this?"

Behind him, Renji winced and covered his face.

The recruit then began to jump up and down in glee. "I got Taichō! Hey, guys, I got Taichō! That means Taichō has to do a batsu game! Wait, is Taichō even playing?"

With a combination of shock and anger that could not even be put into words, Kuchiki slowly turned to look at Renji for some explanation. Renji couldn't look him in the eye. After a moment, he sighed. "Apparently, it's a game."

"A what?" Byakuya inquired with a paper-thin veneer of calm.

At that moment, the architect of all this chaos arrived and greeted them. "Ah, Kuchiki Taichō, Abarai Fukutaichō. Good morning," said Kadenokōji Seren with a smile.

Byakuya moved his gaze to glare at her. This time, he got a slight surprise. He had to glare up, since she was actually slightly taller than he. The reason he had failed to notice this until now was that this was the first time she had greeted him without lowering her head. She boldly held his gaze as he didn't even bother hiding his monumental anger.

"Are you the cause of this?" Byakuya asked her eventually.

"Of course," she answered, giving a good-natured smile.

"Explain. Now."

Seren chucked, resting her hand on her sword hilt as was her habit. "As your lieutenant informs you, it's a game. I must admit I didn't expect to get such high participation, but it just goes to show what a fun-loving division you've got here." She smiled as she looked out over the courtyard, a trace of wistfulness in her drooping eyes. "See, I really like this place. The people, the atmosphere. Everyone's been really kind, and at first, thinking I had to repay that kindness with what amounts to a slap in the face really dug at me."

She turned back to Byakuya, her smile widening. "So then I had an idea. If I make it into a game, nobody's feelings will get hurt. Essentially, the game is to use whatever methods you can think of to try and get someone higher ranked than you to speak, and if you speak to any one lower ranked than you, you have to do a batsu game. Simple, but quite a lot of fun, as it turns out." Her eyes as she smiled softly at the captain held a badly concealed challenge in them. "You're welcome to join, Kuchiki Taichō. The more the merrier, as they say. So?"

Byakuya met that unsubtle challenge in her gaze with a cold stare. "What are you trying to do, Kadenokōji Seren?"

"Do? Get back at you. I thought that was obvious."

Renji's eyes widened as he heard this. Byakuya barely managed to hide his own surprise.

She chuckled, looking down at her feet casually for a moment. "Oh, no need to look like that. I do these things to everyone, it just means I respect you." Her eyes flicked up coquettishly to meet his again. "And I'm sure you agree, a wife should respect her husband."

He gazed at her for a long time, his cold face utterly unreadable. Finally, he said, "What you think of me is irrelevant, and whatever trivial way you choose to spend your time is of no interest to me. Unless it becomes disruptive. Renji."

"Yes, sir," Renji muttered, unsure.

"Take Kadenokōji Seren to a detention cell," Byakuya said smoothly. Renji actually gasped, while Seren's smile faded a little, though she didn't look particularly surprised. "You will remain there until this chaos is under order, and return there if there is any resurgence in disruptive activity. Additionally," he said, coldly, "from now on, you are demoted to the rank of tenth seat. One more disciplinary incursion, and you will have no place in this division. Is that clear, Kadenokōji Seren?"

Her smile as she viewed him then was cold. "Sure. But I have some things to say. Would it be too presumptuous to ask for a private audience later? In or out of a detention cell, it makes no difference to me."

Byakuya ignored her words. "You are now in disciplinary custody. You will confine your answers to a simple 'yes' or 'no' until that changes. Renji."

"Taichō…" Renji murmured. "I don't think…"

"Renji."

The lieutenant glanced away, gritting his teeth. Wordlessly, he produced a pair of reiatsu handcuffs. "Better just get it over with," he muttered.

Kadenokōji still smiled at her captain, but now her eyes showed only malice. Calmly, she held out her wrists before her. "Yes, sir," she said. Wordlessly, Renji took her away.

Several hours later, Seren was sitting on the floor in a detention cell, one leg tucked up to her chest and a philosophical smile on her face. Renji stood, leaning against the bars, shaking his head in exasperation.

"I never thought I'd be in this situation again."

"Hm?"

He sighed, glancing skyward. "Nothing. Look, just tell me – what were you thinking?"

She let a long sigh slip out with one ironic eyebrow raised, thinking. "You disapprove."

"Obviously," he barked.

"Hm," she murmured. She sat in silence for a moment, then stretched out her leg and glanced at her hands absently. "Well, out of curiosity, what would you have done in my position, Fukutaichō?"

Renji bit his lip for a moment, glancing away. Admittedly, he hadn't thought about it that way.

"Hey. If you don't have anything better to do, maybe this is a good time for a continuation of our earlier discussion."

"What discussion?" he muttered, still mostly thinking about her previous question.

She let out a small chuckle. "The first time we met, I called you a dick. I figured I owed you an explanation for that. You don't think so?"

He sighed. "All right. Hit me."

Though he expected another laugh there, she grew a little quieter. When he glanced at her, she was watching her hands still with a complicated smile. The light cast from the bars at the window made her look even more forlorn. His lips parted unknowingly as he watched her.

"You'll probably get angry when I say this, but…my whole life, I wished I had been born in Rukongai."

Renji sighed. "You're right. I'm pissed. You'd better have a good point to make from saying that."

She managed a soft chuckle, and folded her arms, looking up toward the far window. "Yeah. It's silly, I know. I've never starved, so I couldn't know whether I'd prefer that to anything else. But let me ask you this: can you remember how many times you've been looked down on by your enemies, even your friends? Treated like a child, or even a pet?"

"You know who I work for, right?"

Again, he expected laughter, but when he glanced back at her, a hard look of restrained anger awaited him. "Kuchiki Byakuya? Yes, I've seen the way he treats you. Like a subordinate."

"Now, maybe," Renji muttered bitterly. "He never even looked at me before."

She scoffed with a half-hearted smirk. "You have no idea how much I want not to be looked at."

He frowned back at her.

Her eyes grew distant again as she cast them back down to her hands. "Sorry. I don't mean to diminish your experiences. I'll try and explain what I mean." She glanced at the ceiling, forming her words. "In my house, a woman has a very specific role to fill. Be loyal first to your father, then to your husband, then to your son. Only speak when necessary. Never let a hair be out of place. Above all, never do anything that could tarnish the name of the family."

Her gaze slowly turned to his, and the hatred there was so deep, it seemed to permeate her entire being at that moment. "I should be grateful, right? Yes, I was born in a rich circle, where having a personality is a crime worthy of shame on my entire family. I have a rich, beautiful fiancé, who has already started his campaign to crush my spirit and remove any individuality before I become his burden. Every time I take off this shihakusho and put on a long-sleeve kimono, I'm no more human than the mannequin that wore it before me."

She shot to her feet and kicked the bars with a resounding clang. She slapped her hands against, them, glaring at Renji. "For this one year, I've been given a reprieve. Until then, I'm not my father's possession, I'm not my husband's possession, I'm a human being. And you, Fukutaichō," she murmured, her voice dropping to a soft whisper of anger. "When you took one look at me and decided that, not because of my age or experience, but because of my gender, I wasn't worthy of your full strength…"

Slowly, a hateful smile crept over her face as she looked at him. "Let me put it like this: it's one thing being born to be disrespected and treated like an object by people like Kuchiki Byakuya. It's a different thing to lose the respect of someone whose opinion actually matters to me."

Renji stared at her in disbelief. He'd never thought about what it would be like to be born a noblewoman. For the first time, he wondered if Rukia had ever struggled with these things, and realized she probably had. But even she was not being forced to marry someone she seemed to abhor so much.

"Out of curiosity, Fukutaichō, if you were suddenly ordered to marry Kuchiki Byakuya, could you do it?" she asked, her rage finally seeming to fade.

Renji closed his eyes. He thought about it for a long time. Eventually he opened them. "No," he said.

Seren chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. "No, huh? What an enviable word that is, 'no'. I'd like to see my father's face if I ever said that."

Renji took in a breath and let it out slowly. "I'm a little disappointed."

The woman paused, staring a hole in the back of his head in incredulity. "Excuse me?" she muttered.

After a moment, Renji pushed off the bars he had been leaning on all this time. He walked over to her and rested a hand on the bar next to hers. He looked hard at her. "It was nice seeing Taichō get flustered like that, albeit a thoughtless idea that did it. But every time I talk to you, all I hear are contradictions. Having a personality is a crime, huh? So instead of fighting, you'll do everything they tell you until you inevitably die miserable."

She stared at him in shock, utterly unable to form a response. "You can't…" she managed at length, through her building anger.

"I can't understand? You're right. I don't understand what made you the way you are, or what's putting all this fear in you. But I've seen what you look like when you're truly happy." Her eyes widened, her anger fading as emotions bloomed over her face. "I've known enough of this life to know I'd never be happy anywhere but the thirteen divisions. If somebody tried to take that away from me, I'd fight. So before you try to lecture me about how hard you have it, I think you have more work to do."

She didn't seem to know what to say. Eventually, her gaze lowered a little, coming to rest on his chest. "It doesn't matter what I do. I can't escape, even dying won't please them."

"Since when is happiness about pleasing other people?"

"You don't know my father, he'll lock me up if he has to, obviously Byakuya is no different!"

He reached inside the cell and grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. "You've lived with these people for so long and you still don't get it? You lose because your resolve isn't as strong as theirs. But they're only fighting for their pride. You're fighting for your life. If you ever fought seriously, they wouldn't stand a chance. You like to sound so smart. Howcome you can't see something so obvious?"

She gritted her teeth. To his shock, she grabbed his shihakusho and pulled him even closer. "I should be pissed at you. Talking about something you don't understand."

"You're free to get pissed, but it makes less sense if I'm right."

"I hate you."

"I know."

And then, Renji wasn't quite sure what happened. Maybe she leaned forward first, or maybe his fingers tightened in her hair, he wasn't sure. But gradually they drew closer. His lips found hers. He felt electricity surging up his spine as her hand covered his on the bar, her soft lips teasing and tasting his own. He'd never wanted anything in his life more than he wanted her at that moment. Her fingers tightened over his, and her other hand stroked his chest, then slowly reached up and caressed his face as she deepened the kiss.

That moment seemed to stretch on for hours. Then in no time, suddenly it was over. He gazed into her eyes as their breath mixed together in labored pants. He pulled back and covered his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes widening as the reality of his situation came to him. Suddenly, he realized she was laughing.

She closed one eye playfully and leaned against the bars, grinning. "You fucker. You just had to make me fall for you at the worst time possible."

He glanced away, feeling his face light up with a blush. Strangely, when he saw her face then some of his anger and fear melted away. "Should say the same to you." He turned away, meaning to leave, but paused for a moment. "We're not doing this again. Not…until you fight more seriously, anyway."

He thought he caught a blush creep over her face too before he left. Then another muffled curse.


	5. Chapter 5

Notes:

Katsuyama-mage (勝山髷): One of the simpler types of pre-modern hairstyles, popular during the early part of the Edo Period, involving one large swoop layered over the top of the head and a small duck tail at the back. Unlike other styles of the period, involves almost no protrusion on either side, the only complexities are at the top and back, making it slightly more practical for combat (if only slightly).

Furisode (振袖): long-sleeved kimono

Genroku shimada-mage (元禄島田髷): Named for the Genroku Era (1688-1704 CE), similar to Katsuyama but more elaborate and with more variation.

Pokkuri geta (ぽっくり下駄): Very high, wedge-shaped geta (sandals) worn on special occasions or by geisha.

…

Chapter Five

When she was eventually released from her cell, Seren spent a couple of days simply playing by Byakuya's rules. She shocked her peers by showing up one day with her hair in an impeccable Katsuyama-mage, though she still only wore her single, lotus kanzashi. She hardly spoke to anyone apart from pleasantries, and didn't miss a single meeting or practice. She didn't laugh raucously or act like a man. Nor did she tell anyone, including Renji, why she was doing this.

About a week later, Byakuya received a note while he was having dinner with Rukia. He glanced at it, then placed it back on the tray his servant had held out for him.

"Nii-sama?" asked Rukia curiously. "What is it?"

Byakuya closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. "An invitation to meet."

"From whom?"

Byakuya flinched. It was a long time before he answered; so long, in fact, that Rukia was beginning to get very nervous that she might have offended him. Finally, he said, "Kadenokōji Seren."

"Ah," Rukia murmured, and for a time they both returned to their dinner. Eventually she peeked up at him again. "So…will you go?"

"We are eating dinner."

"Right…but after dinner?"

Byakuya's jaw muscles tightened just a hair. He calmly resumed eating, and eventually said, "Since she has asked politely, I have little choice."

Rukia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and obediently continued eating.

An hour later, Byakuya left his house and walked at a leisurely pace toward the Ugendō estate. For some reason, that was where Kadenokōji had asked to meet. Captain Ukitake, its owner, sent a servant to ask Byakuya's forgiveness, saying he was too ill to greet him, but that Kadenokōji Seren was awaiting him by the lake. Byakuya accepted this information without batting an eyelash and followed the servant through the estate to the lake.

When he reached it, he spotted a lone figure sitting on a bench, watching the water shimmer in the fading evening light. He had to admit, he did not recognize her at first. The person sitting there wore a pale blue furisode, patterned with waves and koi, and over it a gold obi of a geometric design; a surprisingly tasteful choice in his opinion. The normally wild mane of brown locks was perfectly fixed in a complex Genroku shimada-mage, now also bearing several unfamiliar kanzashi to match the kimono. This woman sat with impeccable posture, hands folded in her lap and ankles tucked together to one side. When he came into view, she glanced up and smiled.

Kadenokōji Seren, for the first time looking like someone who matched her name, rose from her seat and gave an elegant bow. When her head rose to meet his gaze, though she seemed unable to remove the irony from her gaze completely, she managed to maintain a polite smile. "Good evening, Kuchiki Taichō. Thank you for meeting me. Would you care to sit, or would you rather take a walk around the lake as we talk?"

Byakuya glanced at her feet, which were clad in high and precarious pokkuri geta. He considered for a moment, then sighed. "I think you would prefer to sit."

She chuckled, hiding her mouth behind her sleeve. "How considerate."

He followed her as she returned to her seat on the bench, and he took one beside her. "Kadenokōji Seren. What are you planning this time?" he asked at length.

She gave a wistful sigh. "I was planning on simply enjoying the atmosphere for a while, but if you insist, we can get to the heart of the matter." She resituated her kimono as she turned slightly to face him, and smiled again. "What do you think? A worthy bride of the Kuchiki?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Forgive me, but from what I can see, you are only attempting to cloud the issue."

"By compromising your judgment, you mean?"

"Yes."

She tilted her head sweetly at him. "Is it working?"

He glared at her, though it was hard to be angry for long when she was so close to his ideal of female beauty. "No," he said, flatly, turning his gaze back to the water.

She chuckled again. "Fair enough, it was worth a try. Actually, I had something more serious to discuss, and I thought this might make you more comfortable."

"More pliable, you mean."

"Nothing of the kind," she replied, though there was a bit too much mirth in her smile as she did so. She finally looked more seriously at him. "I have two motives in meeting with you this evening, and both require you to be at your ease."

"And they are?"

She nodded gracefully, turning back toward the water and straightening her kimono. "First, although it is somewhat unusual, if we are to be married I would like to get to know you a little better. Do you have any objection to that?"

He closed his eyes proudly. "None in particular."

"Glad to hear it," she said with a smile. "My second motive, if you'll permit me, is to discuss the fact that we seem to be getting married when neither of us wants to. Do you think you could do me the favor of sharing your views about that, in a civilized atmosphere?"

He let out a breath in thought, and straightened his back. "On the understanding that you will not be able to change my mind on the subject, be my guest."

"You are much more magnanimous than I gave you credit for. I thank you." She thought for a time as she looked over the water. "This may be rude to ask, but did you have any motives – other than financial – for accepting my father's proposal?"

He cast a disapproving glance at her. "The Kuchiki Estate is wealthier by far than the Kadenokōji. What financial motive could I have?"

"Then the negotiations about my dowry?"

He sighed. "It is considered distasteful to accept a first offer, as you should be aware."

"I see. Thank you for your candor, but I'm afraid that's the only reason I could think of, personally." She shrugged lightly with a smirk. "The mind of a sheltered noblewoman. All I need to know really is how to bear children after all, you must forgive my ignorance."

Byakuya gritted his teeth. "You are the one who said you wanted to have a civilized discussion. I don't consider jokes like that to be very civil."

She nodded. "My apologies. So?"

He turned his gaze to her with a hint of suspicion. "You want to know why I accepted?"

"I do."

The nobleman cast his gaze down at the earth before their feet. For a time, he merely felt the cool breeze from the lake on his face, and allowed his mind to be taken up by watching the patterns that the sunset sky cast on the water. "I had no reason to refuse."

Seren frowned, looking genuinely concerned. "I'm sorry…I don't understand."

He sighed lightly. At length, he folded his arms, and looked up toward the dimming orange light. "I have been receiving marriage proposals since Hisana, my wife's, death. Up until now, they have all come from houses less highly ranked than my own. There was no need to consider them. Twice before, your father approached me concerning your elder sisters. At that time, I informed him that the mourning period for the Kuchiki household can last up to five decades. Last year, that period ended."

Her eyes widened. "Taichō…are you saying…I mean, correct me if I'm wrong but, you almost sound as if you want this even less than I do."

Byakuya's whole body stiffened. He slowly closed his eyes, and took a calming breath in and out. "What I want is to do my duty to my family. That requires having children."

The serenity of her noble expression vanished in a scowl. "It was going well until now."

"Should I lie to spare your feelings then?" he asked, flatly.

She sighed. "Normally, I would say 'no'. But you're full of surprises, Taichō, because that was a hell of an honest statement just now. While we're at it, maybe I can make an honest suggestion to you."

"I fear this will be uncivil," Byakuya noted absently.

Ignoring him, she went on, "Fair enough, you care more about your family's honor than your own happiness. That's your right. And I'm sure any one of my sisters, not to mention the vast majority of eligible women in Soul Society, would have been happy to provide the world with lots more Kuchiki children, and ask nothing of you for the privilege. But if you had once thought that maybe you could choose your own bride, maybe you could have found one who actually wanted to marry you, instead of accepting the bare minimum, bottom of the barrel. Oops, but that's sort of your policy, isn't it?"

At first, Byakuya sat silently, almost as if agreeing with this criticism. Finally, he lifted his head. "That marks the end of this civil discussion," he said, getting to his feet.

"Instead you're just determined to ruin my life as well as your own," she continued, rising with him.

He stopped to stare at her for a moment. "If what you say is true, and I am expected to feel pity for you, then I cannot imagine any woman would be happy with a husband like me. If so, why should I refuse what has been offered, and on top of that, from a family almost as prestigious as my own?"

She barked out a bitter laugh. "You know, tell me, because I'm genuinely stumped. Have you ever been happy a single day in your life?"

He cast a cold glare up at her. "You presume to have anything at all to teach to me, child?"

To his shock, she then clasped his face in her hand. "Only one, but it's something important, if you asked me. I'd go so far as to say I can't live without it."

She yanked his face toward her and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Byakuya was frankly too shocked to do anything but stand there. Technically, no one had ever kissed him at all, let alone in such a passionate way as this. He had kissed Hisana of course, but rarely, and she had never initiated it. He was caught between outrage and an unexpected heat that was passing from all the places where she touched him to the pit of his stomach. He later pretended he had imagined the latter.

He stared in incredulity as she slowly drew away and met his gaze. "I found someone that makes me feel like that, times ten," she said sincerely, showing no shame about her actions. "He told me that I have to fight for him, and that seemed fair to me. So this is a warning to you, Kuchiki Byakuya. Try to take this away from me, and I'll fight you tooth and nail until I have nothing left. Desperation is not an enemy you want against you. Think about that," she added, adopting a good-natured grin, "and I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood in baffled silence as she gracefully moved away, leaving him alone by the lake. Well, whatever he had been expecting when he came here, it wasn't that. He didn't realize as he unconsciously reached a hand up to touch the lips that had just been claimed against his will. He couldn't decide whether her tactless boldness was infuriating or whether it actually excited him. After a moment, he glanced at his hand, then lowered it. The fact was, it didn't matter how either of them felt. Byakuya was not one to give up a fight either, and he was sure his will was stronger than hers. The next moment, he used shunpo to leave the estate and set about trying to find a solution to the maddening problem of Kadenokōji Seren.

His first instinct, unfortunately, was simply to follow her. He wasn't sure what he expected to find by doing so, but he had a bad feeling that if he left the issue alone, he would lose. Fair fighting was not really something he cared about anyway. Then there was that ridiculous comment she had made about having another man. He immediately cast it aside as a bluff, thinking (rather arrogantly, in hindsight) that she would have to be insane to develop feelings for another man in this situation.

He caught up with her easily and was not surprised that she was heading for the sixth division barracks. He was, however, surprised when she walked right past the door to her room and kept going, toward the rooms of the higher ranked officers. He carefully hid his presence both physically and with reiatsu, and his frown deepened as he watched her. Where she finally stopped was a place Byakuya had been several times, but never stayed long. Before the door of his lieutenant. The door of Abarai Renji.

Byakuya's eyes widened as he stared. He felt a particular type of anger that was largely unfamiliar to him beginning to build in his chest. It was so powerful, it seemed to be canceling out even his own immense self-control. Spurring it on and complicating the issue was also a strange painful ache in the core of his body, making his extremities feel cold and weak. Byakuya so rarely felt emotional pain, he only recognized the physical symptoms.

She knocked. A few moments passed, and the door opened. Renji's mouth fell open as he stared at her appearance. She laughed and posed playfully, then broke character and jokingly clapped him on the shoulder. He seemed disapproving and pointed inside, looking around nervously. They spoke for a few moments, and Renji's expression softened. He looked her up and down again, and then came the moment that made Byakuya's blood boil.

Renji slowly reached a hand up and gently touched one of the kanzashi in her hair to examine it. Worse, Byakuya was sure he caught a brief expression that could almost be likened to affection. But then Renji looked around nervously again and pointed more firmly inside his room, and this time she went in with him. The door closed.

Byakuya was frozen with a combination of anger, shock, and something else he had rarely felt. The pain that comes with the deepest kind of betrayal. It was taking every ounce of his self-control to keep his reiatsu hidden while such volatile emotions were surging through his chest. He closed his eyes, forcing it all away to try and bring back his logic. But it was no use. Every thought about how to deal with this development resulted in a resurgence of anger and pain. It made no sense. He didn't care for that woman, had never cared for any woman since Hisana.

That thought brought some calm back. Of course he didn't care for her. This was a simple case of natural possessiveness over someone else touching his belongings. It was made worse by the inherent feeling he had had until this moment that Renji would be the last person to betray him. It didn't matter. None of it did.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. What mattered in this case was the same thing that had always mattered most to Byakuya: law and honor. He would protect them no matter what the cost. If Renji had to pay the price for his betrayal in blood and pain, so be it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Renji tapped his foot impatiently, trying not to blush or to look for very long at the goddess sitting on his bed. Kadenokōji Seren had come to his room a few minutes ago, and sat without asking permission on his bed. At the moment, as they spoke, she was loosening her kimono and untying her ridiculously complicated hairstyle. However, the result of that was that now she looked a bit like a lascivious noblewoman who had been having far too much fun with a stable boy, and Renji winced as he realized that was his part in this preposterous situation.

"Hey…can you…change into one of my spare uniforms if you're going to stay?" he grumbled, though she had been speaking. He couldn't even listen.

She looked up at him with surprise for a moment. Then she smirked and tilted her head, causing some stray locks to tumble off her shoulder. After she had loosened her beautiful furisode, quite a lot of her bare collar bone was visible, and it seemed to be calling to him from where he was standing across the room. "Well, I don't mind, but that would defeat the purpose."

"What purpose?"

"You think I came here dressed like this because I like it?" she asked with a chuckle. She sat back a bit and slipped off her heavy shoes, then slid one foot up the bed so her bare leg was visible under her kimono. "Obviously, I'm here to tempt you."

Renji balked. "You-?! Do you have no shame?!"

She sighed. "Not really, but you do seem to be just uncomfortable. All right, hang on."

To his disbelief, she then turned around, and in moments untied her obi and let every scrap of clothing slip off her shoulders at once. He got an amazing view of her naked body from the back before his modesty provoked a wild blush and he forced himself to turn around and clap a hand over his eyes.

"You…you…just…" he stammered, though quite unable to think of a point to make with the image of her body still sending heat surging through his own.

A few moments later, she chuckled and he heard the sound of her sitting on his bed again. "You're a few inches taller than me. And honestly, this area is a bit tight…"

He glanced back – foolishly – to see her tugging at the spare fabric of Renji's uniform which now just covered her breasts. Renji gritted his teeth and looked away as a flush overtook his face again. "Okay. You have to leave now."

"Hey, I'm sorry, I won't do anything, okay?" she said, her smile fading. "I know you're a good man. Of course, good men also have sex, but…"

"Get out!"

"Okay, okay. New topic. I actually wanted to ask something of my lieutenant also, as it happens."

He gave her a suspicious glance. "Really?"

She nodded, now finished undoing her hair and placing her usual kanzashi back inside it. With the exception of the overly long sleeves and tight chest area, she now looked roughly like she normally did, so it was a little easier for him to concentrate. "I heard the higher-ups are taking a few third and fourth seats from different divisions out on a mission to the lower world tomorrow. From what I can gather, they're looking for potential new lieutenants. I wanted to know if they'd take me if I asked."

Renji blinked at her in amazement. "You want…to go on a mission for third and fourth seats?"

"Yeah."

"To…get yourself killed?"

She merely smiled, though he got the vague impression that she was offended. "You're the one who told me to fight. As I see it, the only way my father is ever going to accept me as I am is if I show him I'm capable of becoming a captain in the Gotei 13." She lightly hopped off his bed and sauntered toward him as she spoke. "Before I can to that, I need to show your bosses that I'm capable of becoming a lieutenant. And before I can do that, I need to get promoted. And to do that, I need to kick some ass. Get it?"

He frowned at her as she stepped inside his personal space, pretending his heart wasn't pounding. "You're not just being reckless, right?"

She shrugged with a smirk. "Maybe. But sometimes you have to be a little reckless, when it matters." She placed a hand on his cheek and drew him closer. "Have I fought enough to earn another kiss yet?"

Renji's lips parted. His mind went blank whenever she touched him, and pleasant heat built up under his skin. He wanted nothing more than to oblige her with the kiss she wanted. But slowly, he looked away.

Her smile faded immediately. "Fukutaichō?" she murmured.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Don't," he said.

Seren's eyes went wide. She slowly drew away from him. After a moment, she stepped back and turned away, staring at the floor with a look of confusion. "You've changed your mind?"

"No."

She chuckled, though her eyes still showed confused sadness. "Are you sure? Because you look like you have."

"Nothing has changed. That's the point." She glanced back at him as he briefly rubbed his forehead ruefully. "I don't think…you should be so brazen about disobeying Kuchiki Taichō."

Those lazy eyes went wide again. Then as he watched, bitterness began to flow into them until they narrowed again. "Wow. 'Brazen'," she said with a bitter smile, folding her arms and looking away. "That's a word my father would use."

"Don't start, it isn't about that. It's about Taichō's pride," Renji insisted, stepping toward her.

She frowned at that. "How so?"

"He's…he's not a forgiving man," Renji supplied at last. "He remembers everything, and if he has a chance, he'll pay back every debt." Renji sighed, leaning back on the table behind him. "And you haven't just disobeyed him, you're consistently insulting his family and his honor. Trust me, he's the one man you do not want to insult in those areas."

"I don't want to insult him? I think you're forgetting, I don't want to 'anything' him," she said, a strange smile concealing a mix of confusion and subtle anger. "Does it make any difference what I do? I'll end up insulting him no matter what if I'm successful in this. I'm planning to break off our engagement."

"I know that. But…" Slowly, he looked away. "You don't understand. You don't know what he went through back then."

"Back then?" she muttered, tilting her head in false playfulness, her smile still bitter. "Ah. You mean his previous wife. I'm from a noble family, Fukutaichō, I've heard the story."

"Then you know it wasn't just that he loved her. He defied his family for her. A man like Kuchiki Byakuya throwing away law and honor, I can't even imagine it."

She scoffed. "Now that you mention it, he has a lot of nerve to criticize, doesn't he?"

"You think it's funny?" he demanded in a soft voice.

She closed her eyes, unconsciously tightening her jaw. "I suppose I think it's ironic."

"It's not supposed to be amusing," he continued. "He can't ever go against his family again, do you understand?"

She watched him for a time with a somewhat suspicious look before coldness returned to her dark eyes. "To be honest, no, not really. I'm getting a few mixed signals here. Fight, don't fight. Fall for me, don't fall for me."

"I never said-"

"You never said much of anything," she interrupted, her smile now a sad and hollow thing. "And now I think I know why."

He felt rage start to build in his chest as he thought he knew what she was going to say next. "What does that mean?"

Even the vestiges of her smile now faded, leaving only sad eyes. "What a fool I was. How could I not realize I'd be making Kuchiki Byakuya my rival?"

His eyes shot open with anger. "I'm not in love with him."

"No, I can see that," she said, and slowly began to gather her things. The anger was gone from her face and voice, leaving only disappointment and a hint of sadness in her eyes. "It's something much more powerful than that, actually. It's something I've always admired, so I know it very well." Now she did gain a soft smile, though it did not reach her eyes. "A brotherly bond between men. I can hardly resent you for wanting to protect that."

He struggled to find a way to reply to that, but wasn't sure he understood what was happening. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." She paused for a moment, staring at the clothes laid out on his bed. "I should have realized. I've been so foolish." She lowered her head for a moment, and he thought she was crying. But she started to fold her kimono as if nothing was wrong. "I'm sorry I tried to force my feelings on you, Fukutaichō," she said, her voice softening and her movements slowing. "It was my mistake, and I won't repeat it." Her eyes flicked up to his, and he thought they looked a little red, but he saw no tears. "This doesn't change how I feel about Byakuya, just so you know. I'd still rather eat my own leg than spend my life with a straight-laced nobleman who doesn't want me in the first place. But in any case, it's none of your concern now."

Renji's chest felt tight. What was she saying? "Seren…" he murmured, without much thinking about it.

She looked up in surprise, but as she did a tear rolled down her cheek. She broke out a wide smile, her sadness all but disappearing. "You said my name. Thank you. I'll take that gladly as a parting gift." Her eyes briefly lowered to the floor, and another tear rolled down her cheek. "And I guess…I hope you'll forgive me if I take just one more thing."

He was relatively powerless to resist as she approached him and gently took his hand in hers. She gazed at his rough fingers with an affection that took nearly Renji's breath away. Then she managed that when she brought his hand up to her, then gently kissed his palm. Renji felt his heart might break, but he still wasn't sure why this was happening. She slowly drew back, though she held his hand a moment longer. Then, without looking at him, she turned around and hurriedly left his room, picking up her formal clothes on the way.

Renji stood stock-still for a time, his hand still held awkwardly out where she had let it go. He felt his eyes start to sting as the realization came to him of what had just happened. He couldn't stop himself. He tightened his hand briefly, then brought it up to his lips, and kissed the place where hers had been.

…

Seren was relatively numb as she walked back toward her own quarters. But that numbness disappeared with a harsh jolt when she saw the figure that had been standing at the end of the row of officers' rooms, watching her from the moment she left Renji's. Her mouth fell open, and she almost dropped the heavy kimono in her arms.

"Kadenokōji Seren," said Kuchiki Byakuya. A casual glance would reveal nothing at all in his face or body language, impeccably unreadable as always. But she could see, in the hardness around his eyes, and the stiffness of his shoulders, he was barely containing his rage. "Please accompany me to my home. You will be staying there from now on."

Seren's face lost all joy. She slowly lowered her head. "Hm. This is probably a stupid question, but what might happen if I said 'no'?"

"I would take Renji with me instead."

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. How foolish, she thought to herself again. Spending all this time thinking what he would do to her, never imagining what might happen to Renji if Byakuya found out. She looked down at the clothes in her hand. What was Byakuya to assume from this, anyway? Couldn't be helping things.

She took in a slow breath. When she let it out, her noblewoman's expression had returned. "I understand," she murmured.

Then she followed Byakuya to the Kuchiki mansion, knowing full well that she might never come out of it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Kuchiki house was very quiet. That was Seren's first impression of it. Occasionally the 13th Division Lieutenant, Byakuya's younger sister Rukia, was kind enough to have tea with her, though all the while barely holding back an expression of pity and confusion. She didn't understand her brother any more than his intended bride did, Seren thought. Then for about an hour every day, the household's chief maid would instruct and quiz Seren on the ways of being a wife of the Kuchiki.

But despite how awful they made her feel, she welcomed even these spirit-breaking lessons as a break from the monotony. She was not permitted to train, and Byakuya had forced her to take a temporary leave from her duties, at least until they said their vows. So all there was to do was sit in her room, or walk the grounds. There was one upside; as far as she could tell, Byakuya did not share her father's view that noblewomen had no place in the military. After they wed, it seemed he would give her as much autonomy as she required. So long as she didn't bring any shame to the family of course.

Onmitsu-kidō were everywhere. The first time she noticed it, while walking in the garden, she almost wondered if she should feel flattered. The combination of her name and Kuchiki Byakuya's certainly had sway, even among the Seireitei's spy force, which of course had no relation to their marriage. At least she hoped they didn't.

Each day the flame of defiance inside her grew a little dimmer. Only one thing kept it from going out completely; the thought of not seeing Renji again. Well that was just bullshit. One way or another, she would see him again. If in the end, she couldn't avoid this marriage, so be it. She'd already done plenty of harm to her father's name, let Byakuya reap what he sowed. If he insisted on marrying Kadenokōji Seren no matter what, he'd just have to live with the consequences of that decision.

But then, each time after she had these thoughts, she would start to feel cold. Byakuya had not spoken to her in the six days since she'd been here, so she remembered quite clearly what the last thing he'd said was. It was when she had asked what would happen if she refused to come with him.

"I would take Renji instead."

Her chest ached as if those words had borne a hole straight through it, and she slumped forward in her seat by the window of her room. Disobeying Kuchiki Byakuya, as she was beginning to realize, had its consequences as well.

…

Renji didn't feel anything for the first few days of Seren's absence. Really, nothing at all. It was as if she'd struck a blow directly to the part of him that felt pain, temporarily incapacitating its function. He just did his work, and tried not to think.

Of course he didn't know where she'd gone. Byakuya was not in the habit of idle chatting on the subject of his personal business, and Rukia, who did care about the girl and wasn't sure about Byakuya's decision, was not aware of her relationship with Renji, so she didn't think to bring it up with him. And so these days continued.

One thing Renji did notice: his captain seemed to be…glaring at him? It wasn't often, and the change in his expression was barely noticeable, but every now and then Renji would feel a horrible chill, and look up to find Byakuya watching him. A slight drawing of his brows. Barely noticeable narrowing of his eyes. Perhaps an almost invisible tightening of his jaw. That was all that had changed. But as someone who knew the nobleman very well, even these miniscule expressions shocked him.

After the first few times he felt this, a fear started to creep up inside him. Had Byakuya found out? Renji physically shivered at the idea. He could not imagine anything more terrifying than the idea of betraying Kuchiki Byakuya, and having him find out about it.

Then, his suspicions were confirmed. Renji received a letter, an extremely formal letter, delivered by hand to his room. He read it once. His eyes widened. Then a chill ran up his spine and the hands that held the letter started to shake. It was an invitation to have dinner that same evening. Alone. With Byakuya. At his estate. Finally, his knees weakened and he collapsed against his door, somehow hoping some great calamity would befall the Seireitei between now and dinner time.

_I don't want to go_, Renji kept repeating uselessly to himself. He paced around his room fruitlessly as he thought, trying desperately not to glance at the letter which he had placed facedown by the door. _I don't want to go. But Taichō will kill me if I refuse, won't he? He might kill me anyway…what am I supposed to do?! _Worrying about his personal safety had at least distracted him from the thing he didn't want to think about. In the end he decided he had little choice but to go.

He arrived at the vast Kuchiki estate, as the letter had stipulated, at exactly six o'clock. An old woman, a servant, met him at the gates and bowed. She then instructed him, much to his chagrin, that this was the servant's entrance. On this evening anyway, Renji was a guest, therefore he should enter from the main gates and courtyard. Renji couldn't help a swallow of fear.

He tried not to drag his feet as he went like a kicked puppy around the main mansion to the proper entrance. He stopped again once he reached it and shivered. Massive and unforgiving as always. The only times he had ever been allowed to come in this way were during parties held at the Kuchiki estate for all shinigami. Without crowds of people, the gates seemed even larger and more disapproving. Reluctantly, he walked inside them.

After crossing the large bailey, a nerve-wracking process augmented only by the sound of his sandals crunching the gravel, a servant emerged from the main door. He bowed and guided Renji inside the house and to a sitting room where he should wait for Byakuya's arrival. The inside of the mansion was always quiet, but now it felt eerily so. He hadn't seen or heard anyone apart from the two servants he'd encountered so far. In truth he was only waiting in that vast, minimalist sitting room for a few minutes, but considering that he feared to touch anything, since even the furniture was worth more than he could ever make in his life, it felt like hours. Finally, the monotony was broken by a flutter of movement in the corner of his eye.

Renji leapt and whirled around with an unmanly noise of surprise. Across the room, Byakuya stood expressionlessly and silently watching him.

"Renji. Good evening," he said, in a dark and unreadable voice. He took a few steps inside the room and stopped again, watching Renji. "You seem unsettled. Is anything the matter?"

Renji realized he still had his hands up in a nonsensical martial arts pose, which he had adopted when Byakuya surprised him. He slowly lowered his shaking hands and shook his head. "Forgive me. I'm fine."

Byakuya nodded. "Very well. If you are ready, please join me in the dining room." The captain turned and gestured toward a door, which he then left through.

Renji froze again. This was just cruel. Normally, Kuchiki Taichō had no problem scaring him. But Taichō being nice was a completely new level of terror. Unable to express his fear without being rude and therefore potentially incurring the wrath of the terrifying captain however, he merely shuffled along worriedly behind him.

"I-is Rukia joining us?" he asked, trying to sound polite.

"I sent her to her room for the evening."

_Gah!_ Renji cried internally, now really beginning to panic. _He knows, he knows! He's going to kill me and eat me, that's what dinner meant, right?! Gaaah!_

But Byakuya gave no further sign that anything was amiss. He took his place at the head of the table and gestured for Renji to sit down first. Reluctantly, he did. Then they were left in silence again until the servants brought water, sake and hot towels. Renji was unfamiliar with this custom, so he had to wait to see what Byakuya did with the oddly moist, warm towel. He realized with a blush that it was simply a pleasant way to clean one's hands.

After they finished doing this, Byakuya raised a dignified hand. All at once, servants began to carry in dish after elegant dish before Renji and Byakuya. The process began with a minimalist sakizuke, followed by a refreshing yellowtail and octopus sushi with a side dish of zucchini and radish tempura, then the best mackerel sashimi Renji had ever put in his mouth, simmered vegetables, a divine egg drop soup, flame-broiled cod, cucumber sukimono, and so many other dishes he frankly lost count. Since the servants refilled his sake cup before he even contemplated doing so himself, he soon ended up with a warm and pleasant feeling to replace the fear.

When Renji finally finished the last dish, much of his nerves were under control (though to be precise, it was mostly the sake which accomplished this). Hesitantly, as Byakuya was dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin, Renji cleared his throat.

"Uh…thank you very much for inviting me, Taichō. I've never had kaiseki-ryori before," he murmured.

"Indeed," Byakuya replied without inflection.

Renji flinched. That warm feeling he'd felt simply blew away on the wind. If anyone else had said it, it would have sounded like a polite question. Byakuya's tone however was unsurprised by the concept, and in fact seemed quite assured of the fact that Renji had never sampled food from his world. But actually…that wasn't the worst part.

Byakuya had spoken while austerely looking down at his napkin as he placed it on the table. But now he was glaring again. The dim light of wall sconces in Byakuya's elegant dining room being the only light source, at the moment parts of Byakuya's face were in shadow. Now more than ever, the crease between his brows, the sharpness of his eyes, the muscles working in his jaw were obvious even at a distance. For a few moments, Renji was simply too consumed with fear to look away.

But at length, the hint of defiance that he'd never fully lost from his youth reared its head. With resignation, he breathed in and out slowly, turning his gaze to the table. He patted his mouth politely with a napkin and set it down, then sat in stillness for a moment. Finally, he met Byakuya's gaze again.

"Taichō. Do you know where Kadenokōji Seren is?"

Byakuya's expression of contained rage did not change. He simply said, "Yes."

Renji's hand on the table briefly tightened, but he loosened it again. "I see. Is she well?"

"That is none of your concern," came the dark reply.

"I will not ask to see her. I do not think she desires to see me in any case. But I would like to know that she is well," Renji said calmly. The more he spoke, the more he felt those almost forgotten emotions reinforcing his bravery.

Byakuya's glare intensified. Now even someone who did not know him could perceive his anger. But Renji did not waver. "That is none of your concern." Each word that issued from Byakuya's mouth was painfully slow and dripping with poison.

Renji closed his eyes in frustration for a moment as he considered. "It is not inappropriate to be concerned for my subordinate's safety," he said eventually.

"Currently she is not your subordinate," Byakuya replied in the same breath. "Until she returns from her leave of absence that condition will not change."

Renji matched Byakuya's glare with one of his own. "Taichō. I do not believe you would harm her."

"High praise," Byakuya shot back, taking a stately posture by leaning back in his chair and folding his hands.

"I would like you to tell me that I am not wrong in this assumption," Renji said, still refusing to break his gaze.

The muscle in Byakuya's jaw twitched just slightly. "You do not only impugn the honor of my bride and my house, but also myself. That question is not worth answering."

"Forgive me, Taichō," Renji murmured, swallowing in trepidation. "But your words and expression do not match." Byakuya's eyes narrowed at this, and Renji could practically feel the aristocrat's muscles tense as his pride took a heavy hit. "In your normal state, I would not say you were capable of violence against anyone who did not deserve it, or of any behavior I would call illogical." To say what he had to say next, Renji had to grip his napkin tightly to hold back his fear. "But the captain I see before me now is not the man I know."

The air around Byakuya seemed to practically sparkle with his anger. But after a few moments, the nobleman closed his eyes and took a breath in. The anger on his face dissipated, though did not vanish completely. At length, he met Renji's gaze again and let that breath out slowly.

"You are asking if I am capable of violence when it is warranted? Yes. Of that you can be certain." The certainty of his tone sent waves of apprehension through Renji's stomach. That was not even a partially disguised threat. "If honor can be satisfied through violence, if the offender can pay for his crime with blood, I am fully capable of extracting that fee."

Renji blinked in genuine surprise. Byakuya's tone almost had him convinced that he really had harmed her. " 'His'? Then…you have not injured her? We are still speaking in the hypothetical?"

Byakuya's eyes flared with anger. "I have said I will not answer your first question. Do not ask it again. In answer to the second…no. We are not."

At that moment, Renji felt a crushing wave of Byakuya's reiatsu. That was more than enough to charge the dread that was seeping into his blood. He had always known Byakuya was ruthless. But he had clearly underestimated his ability to be motivated by anger.

"I thought it would be appropriate to welcome you into my home before I make my challenge publicly," Byakuya said. Amazingly, as he said these brutal words, his calm had fully returned. "If your life should end in your conflict with me, I would not want your spirit to go hungry."

Renji trembled for a moment under the intense reiatsu and overwhelming fear. Slowly, his gaze turned to the table before him, the remains of the exquisite dinner still staring back at him. The carcass of the fish still looked blankly into nothing, a clear harbinger of what awaited him. He took in this knowledge for a moment to let his emotions calm.

"You will issue a challenge then?" he asked softly.

"I believe I just have," Byakuya answered with equal gravity. "But if it will satisfy you, I will formally announce the duel via hell butterfly one hour before dawn. That should give any who care to observe your destruction time to prepare."

Renji. closed his eyes. In his heart, he truly felt that Byakuya was justified in this. The guilt of what he had only contemplated, not acted on, had been working at him for so long that he forgot the feelings that had prompted his betrayal. All that was left was the remorse that he had hurt two people he cared about.

"I understand," he murmured, while knowing full well this duel would mean his death. "Please name the time and place, Taichō. I will be ready."

"My gardens. Sunrise tomorrow. Please select a second to fight if you do not, and to handle your affairs after your death."

Renji nodded. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. I will inform Murayama San-seki that he will be required to take my place beginning tomorrow."

"Please do."

With that, Renji rose and left the Kuchiki household. Neither he nor Seren were aware that they spent the whole evening but two rooms away from one another as both their chances for happiness was lost. Fortunately for both of them though, Renji and Byakuya's conversation did not go totally unnoticed.

…

Rukia sat disbelieving outside the dining room entrance closest to her own room. She had been worried about her brother for the past few days, and though she did not intend to spy on him, she was surprised when she felt Renji's reiatsu entering the house. He had told her he was having a guest, but for some reason he had not mentioned that it was Renji. She finished her dinner as quickly as she could, though in the Kuchiki household it was extremely improper not to take at least an hour to eat. Her servants still watched her like a hawk to enforce this, even after living here so long.

By the time she finally got away, she was intending to ask Byakuya to join them so she could talk to Renji. But she froze when she heard Byakuya's raised voice beyond the door. What had he said? Something about impugning the honor of his bride…but what did Renji have to do with that? Slowly, as the conversation unfolded, her eyes widened as the pieces fell together. She merely stood there as the shock washed over her, perfectly able to hear beyond the thin paper door. Her horror grew as she realized what was happening. She knew them too well to think that either would back down. If nothing changed, at dawn the next day, Byakuya would kill Renji.

She finally understood the source of Byakuya's anger when she realized Renji was part of the equation. His pride was much too high to permit his potential bride to be involved with anyone, much less a commoner and his closest confidant. Much though she was terrified for Renji's life, Rukia was one of the few people who could truly understand Byakuya's emotions in a time like this, and genuinely feel sad on his behalf. She knew better than anyone that he really did feel he had no choice but to do this.

She must do something. She knew she could not let this happen. They were both blinded by emotion, they were not thinking rationally. She knew that in their hearts they each cared about one another too much to ever truly want to harm the other, whatever their outward attitudes might suggest. If Byakuya really did kill Renji, that guilt would consume him for the rest of his life. It would rob him of what little affection for any other person remained in his heart. But what could she do?

Suddenly, she had an idea. When she was sure Renji was gone and Byakuya had returned to his room, she raced down the halls of their mansion, toward the guest house. There might be one person who could still stop this. With any luck, they would not be too late.


End file.
